Eisenhuth



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-SheetA 1. -J. W. EISBNHUTH.

GUT-OFF FOR COMPOUND ENGINES;

Patent-ed June 17, 1890.

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J. W. BISENHUTH. GUT-OFP POR 0011110111111 ENGINES.

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UNITED STATES rPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. EISENHUTH, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY'

DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO 'TI-IE ELECTRIC VAPOR ENGINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CUT-OFF FOR CoMPouND ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,311, dated June 17, 1890.

Application filed December 6,1889. Serial No, 332,817. (No model.)

vpound engines in which the high-pressure and lowpressure cylinders are controlled from a single valve-chamber.

My invention consists in the novel arrangement and connections of the valved chambers intervening` between the high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders, the arrangementJ and construction of the valve seats and valves for-each cylinder, the novel arrangement of the valve-stems and means for operating them, the novel cut-ott mechanism and means for operating it, and the novel reversing mechanism, all of which, together with details of the construction and arrangement, will be hereinafter fully described, and the novel features specifically pointed out in the claims.

The general object of my invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and economicallyoperating engine of this class; also, to provide valve-stems and cut-offs of simple construction, having a less number of parts and of greater durability and easier management, and that will work steam to a greater percentage. I do away with all the wire-draw on the many valve movements that are now manipulated by the eccentric, as at no time on any valve worked by an eccentric is there a full port except when the pist-on is in the center of the stroke, it taking one-quarter of a revolution or one-half of the stroke of piston to give a full port; hence there is about thirty-five per cent. of power lost on the piston by what is termed wire-draw, because there is no full port or free iiow of steam to cylinder, and the same way on the exhaust end of piston, whichfgives more or less backpressure, working always against the engine,

vof the low-pressure cylinder.

as it takes one quarter of the stroke tol get a full port and the other quarter of stroke 'to diminish or close the port for the exhaust to take place when working same with cam or eccentric; but with my valves and stems and the mechanism for manipulating same I am able to hold a full port for three-quarters of the stroke of the piston, which means more power, higher speed, and economy.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of my engine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal crosssection through the upper part. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section through the lower valveseat, valve, and cut-off plate. Fig. Llis a view of valve C. Fig. 5 is a view of the cut-oplate I. Fig. G is a horizontal cross-section through the stems above the catches U. Fig. 7 is an elevation of Fig. 6.

A is the high-pressure cylinder, having within it the piston a, and attached parts, (represented generally by a,) which connect it with the crank-shaft B of the engine.

C is the low-pressure cylinder,having within itthe piston cand attached parts, (represented generally by c.,) connecting it with the crankshaft B of the engine. Between these two cylinders is located the valve-chest D, which serves for both cylinders. This valve-chest is divided into three compartments by two separate valve-seats, the upper one of which is represented by E and the lower one by F. The chamber or compartment which is above the upper valve-seat is the compartment into which live steam is admitted and from which it is passed through suitable connections to each end of the high-pressure cylinder. The compartment intervening between the two valve-seats is that into which the steam from the high-pressure cylinder exhausts and in which it is confined, so as to supply the lowpressure cylinder, which it does by being admitted through the lower valve-seat into suitable passages communicating with each end The lowermost compartment is the one into which the lowpressure cylinder exhausts, and which is connected with the condenser.

The upper valve-seat E consists of adiaphragm or plate of metal traversing the valvechest, and provided on one side with an inlet-port e, with which the passage ce? communicates, the other end ot' which communicates with the upper end of the high-pressure cylinder A. On the other side ot` the valveseat and corresponding in position is the inlet-port e', with which the passage a3 communicates, the other end of said passage commnicating with the lower end of the highpressure cylinder. In the irst side of the valve-seat, within and concentric with the inlet-port e, is the exhaust-port e2, which com- 1n unieates Adirectly downwardly with the middle compartment of the'valve-chest, and on the other side of the valve-seat and in a corresponding position is the other exhaust-port e3, which also communicates directly with the middle compartment of the cylinder.

The valve-seat F in the lower vportion of the chest is similarly constructed, having on one side an inlet port f, communicating through a passage c2 with the lower end of the low-pressure cylinder, an inlet-port f on the other side communicatingthrough a passage c3 with the upper end of the low-press uiecylinder,and exhaust-portsfZand fS-one on each side-communicating directly with the compartme-nt of the valve-chest under' said seat.

G is the valve of the upper valve-seat, and H is the valve of the lower valve-seat.

metal, having in one side of it and extending through an arc b ut little short of a semicircle the inlet-port g, which passes completely through the valve, and is adapted by the rotation of said valve to be successively brought into communication with the two inlet-ports of the valve-seat. The other side of the valve G is provided with the exhaust-port g, consisting of a wide groove in the under side of the valve and having a width sufficient to span or bridgevthe distance between the inlet and exhaust ports, so as to connect said ports to effect the exhaust.

The valve H below is similarly constructed, having on one side the inlet-port h and on the 'other side the exhaust port or groove 7L. These two valves are, however, arranged the reverse of each other, so as to effect the alternate operation of the pistons in the two cylinders.

The valve G is provided on its upper surface with a cut-oft' (represented by I) consisting of a disk or plate of metal lying on the top of said valve and separately movable thereon. This disk or plate has a port fi, in the end of which is the cut-off lip i', .which vextends into the inlet-port of the valve. Now it will -be seen that by turning independently this Ycut-oil? plate or disk on the valve its port may be gradually turned out of alignment with the inlet-port of the valve, thereby gradually bringing it-s solid portion lhe Valve G consists of a circular plate or disk of 1 over said port and cutting it oit as much as may be desired.

Uponthe lower valve H is similarly titted a cutoff disk or plate J, having portj and a lip j', acting on the lower valve in precisely the same way as the cut-ott' plate or disk I acts on the upper valve. The stems which operate these several rotary parts-namely, the two valves and the two cut-olis-are tubular, and are fitted one within the other in concentric series, all extending downwardly, as shown. The innermost stem, which is represented by K, is the one which is connected with the cut-off plate or disk I of the upper valve. The next stem is designated by L and is connected with the valve G. The next stem M is connected with the cut-oit disk or plate J of the lower valve, and the outermost stem N is connected with the lower valve H. These stems, as before stated, pass through one another in the order named, and each is connected with its rotary part from below, the whole passing through a suitable stuingbox and extending downwardly, where they are ultimately connected with and derive a rotary motion` from the crank shaft B through the beveled gears Z2 and b', one on said crank-shaft and the other on the lower connection of the valve-stems. This connection is the valve coupling-rod O, which is supported and journaled in a suitable bracket, said coupling-rod carryingv near its upper end and fixed thereto the lower reversing-block o, above which and adapted to slide up and down on a feather is the upper reversingblock o', having lugs or arms o2, adapted to engage with corresponding sockets 03 in the lower reversing-block, whereby the two are normally coupled together.

Upon the lower end of the outermost stem N is firmly secured its turning-block n, and upon the lower end of the second or upper valve-stem L is its turning-block Z. Between these two and firmly secured to the stem of the lower cut-off is its turning-block m, while below the block Z is the turning-block k ofthe upper cut-ott' stem. The turning-blocks of the two valve-stems are connected together by a bolt or pin P, the lower end ot' which extends downwardly into the bearing-block Q, secured to the top of the valve coupling-rod O, and resting on said rod through the intervention of a spring q. The intervening cut-off blocks m and k are adapted to turn not only with the valve-stein blocks, but are also adapted to have a rotary movement of theirown when required to operate the cut-offs, this movement being eected by means of the annular racks m and 7c upon the periphery of each cut-off block, engaging with pinions fr on a vertical rotary shaft R, the upper end of which carries a pinion fr', which meshes with an an*- nular rack s on a holdin gsleeve S, fitted freely around and independent of the outermost valve' stem N. This sleeve carries at its top a plate s', having on one side one or more holes S2. Above the plat-e and secured tol stem N is a collar s3, having a bottom fiange or armss4, on which are a concentric series of cams si. p Y

T is a fixed bracket, which supports a sleeve t, fitted freely about stem N for a guide, and

t5 and lying directly above t-heholes s2 in theplate s below and adapted to beV dropped therein. The upper ends of said rods t3 are formed with beveled heads t, which are engaged underneath by a series of horizont-al catches U, which are carried in casings u on an yarm u', extending from a sleeve u2, fitted about stem N and supported-by a fixed bracket us. These catches are controlled by springs 'a4 and remain normally in their engagement with the heads of the latch-rods when not working cut-off valves.

V is a pivoted rack-quadrant having a lever t* for operating it, and engaging a rack ofi of the upper reversing-block o', whereby said block may be raised out of engagement with the lower block o.

On the other side I have shown a lever IV,

having its lower end connected with a hori-- zontally-sliding rack w, adapted to enga-ge teeth 05 on one side of the upper reversingblock when said block is raised.

, The operation of the engine is as follows: The valves derive their rotation from the crank-shaft and admit steam to and exhaust.

it alternately from each end of the cylinders, as is obvious. The peculiarity of the valves lies in the large inlet-port with which they are provided, whereby both in opening and closing the seat-ports they avoid all tendency to choke and maintain the full capacity of the inlet throughout nearly a half-revolution. The several stems passing through one another are brought in close and direct action. The arrangement of the steam-chest and its connections with the two cylinders bybrin ging the exhaust-steam from the high-pressure cylinder close to the lower-pressure cylinder willdo away with a large amount of the wiredraw or waste in condensation. The connection of the stems with the under sides of the valves and the cut-off disks and the construction of the steam-chest result in an advantage that there is no steam or pressure on the stuffing-box or on the valve-stems, which is a great saving in the use of said stems and packing, as the packing will never need to be set tight. It is impossible for any steam to reach it unless the valves leak. The engine may be reversed either automatically or positively, asiollows: For an automatic reversal I use the quadrant-rack V, so as to raise the upper reversing or clutch block 0 out of engagement with the lower block o, so that the two turn independently of each other, and when the upper clutch-block is dropped again it engages the lower clutch-block the reverse of its former engagement; butin casethis automatic reverse might not be positive enough I may use thelever IV on the other side with the rack w, of which the teeth of the upper clutch-block are adapted to be engaged when said block is raised by the rack-quadrant on the other side. By operating the lever W the upper clutch-block may be positively turned to reverse its engagement with the lower clutch-block.

The cut-off mechanism operates asfollows: Vhen all the parts are in their normal position, the cut-off stems are connected through the shaft R with the' surrounding parts, so that they all rotate together. To affect the cut-off blocks I drop, according to the amount of cut-off desired, one or the other of the series of latch-rods t3 by pulling back the catch U from under its head, so that the lower end of said latch-rod drops through 'one of the holes s2 of the plates s', thereby holding said plate and its sleeve S, which thereupon causes the pinion r to turn on the racks, thereby rotating the vertical shaft R, and through its pinions r turning the out-off blocks the required amount. This amount is regulated by the position of the cams S5 on the arms s4, one of which immediately comes in contact with the side arm t5, projecting from the latch-rod, whereby said latch-rod is raised out of engagement with the plate s', thereby freeing it and allowing the normal operation, as before.

Having thus described myinvention,whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In an engine, the cylinders A and C, in combination with the intervening valve-chest having the ported valve-seats E and F, dividing it into three compartments, the upper one of which is for the live steam and connected with the cylinder A, the middle one for the exhaust from cylinder A and connected with cylinder C, and the lower one for the exhaust from cylinder C, substantially as herein described.

2. In an engine, the cylinders A and C, in combination with the valve-chest having the valve-seat E in its upper portion, with inletports communicating through suitable `passages with the ends of cylinder A, and exhaust-ports in'to the chest below the seat, the valve-seat F in the lower portion, having inletports communicating through suitable passages with th'e ends of cylinder C and exhaust-ports into the chest below the seat, and the valves G and H of said seats having the IOO inlet and exhaust ports,substantially as herey in described. y

3. In an engine, the combination of the cylinders A and C, the intervening valve-chest having the inlet-port on one side and theexl haust-groove port on the other side, substantially as described.

4. In an engine, the combination of the cylinders A and C, a valve-chest`interposed between said cylinders, having a valve-seat provided with inlet and exhaust ports on each side, a rotary valve plate or disk on said seat having the inlet-port on one side and the eX- haust-groove port on the other side, a stem for said valve-plate, and a cut-off plate or disk on said valve having a stem by which said cut-oft' plate may be rotated independently of the valve-plate, said cut-ott plate having a port adapted to be turned into and out ot' alignment with the inlet-port of the valve, substantially as described.

5. In an engine, the combination of the valve plate or disk having an inlet-port and a cut-oit plate or disk mounted upon said valve-plate and having a port provided with down Wardly-proj ectinglip in one end adapted to move in the inlet-port of the valve, said valve-plate and cut-oit plate being mounted upon independent con centric stems, whereby the valve-plate and cut-off plate may be independently rotated, substantially as described.

6. In an engine, the ported valve-chest, the series of rotary valves therein and `controlling its cylinders, in combination with tubuvlar stems connected with the valves and passing through the valve-chest, said stems being concentrically arranged and independently rotary and each being unconnected with the other, substantially as described.

7. In an engine, the combination of the valve-chest having the seats E and F, the rotary valve disks or plat-es G and H on said seats, the independently-rotary cut-off disks or plates I and J thereon, and the series of concentric tubular stems connected with said plates or disks independently and passing down through the valve-chest, substantially as herein described.

8. In au engine, the rotary valves and the series of concentric stems thereof, in combi'- nation with the crank-shaft of the engine, the valve coupling-rod Q, connected with said stem and geared to said shaft, whereby it is rotated, the fixed reversing-block o on said rod, and the vertically-movable reversingblock o', adapted to engage and disengage the fixed block, whereby the. engine may be reversed, substantially as herein described.

9. In an engine, the rotary valves, the independently-rotary cutoff plates, and the series of concentric stems of said valves and plates, in combination with the turningblocks on their lower ends, the crank-shaft of the engine, the coupling-rod o, geared to said shaft and supporting at its upper end the blocks of the valve-stems, and the means for automatically turning the blocks of the cut-V oi stems, consisting of the shaft R, geared to said blocks, theloose sleeve S geared to said shaft, and a latch to hold the sleeve when desired to work cut-oft valves, substantially as herein described.

10. In an engine, the rotary valves, the independently-rotary cut-offs on said valves, the series of concentric hollow stems for said valves and cut-offs, the turning-blocks of the valve-stems connected together, and the indepen dently-rotary tu ming-blocks of the cut-o stems, in combination with connections from the engine-shaft to rotate said stems, and the mechanism for independently operating said cut-off blocks, consisting of the racks on their Yperipheries, the rotary shaft having the pinions, the independent sleeve having a rack engaging with one ot' the pinions of the shaft, and a plate having the holes, the rotary sleeve having the cams and fastened to the valve-stem, the vertically-movable spring-controlled latch-rods adapted to engage Said holes and to be raised by the cams, and the horizontal spring-controlled catches engaging said latch-rods to hold them up,substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN \V. EISENHUTH.

Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, H, C. LEE. 

